Question 1
Tocqueville's point of view as a writer was shaped by the fact that he
The APUSH DBQ, LEQ and SAQ rubrics, point by point
The document-based question is worth 7 points, the long essay 6 and each short answer 3. Every point is earned on its own, so a clear thesis, real context and sourcing of two documents are worth more than a long essay.
| Document-based question | 7 points, about 60 minutes, 25% |
|---|---|
| Long essay | 6 points, about 40 minutes, 15% |
| Short answer | 3 questions, 3 points each, 40 minutes, 20% |
| Rubrics for 2027 | Unchanged; the question formats changed |
The DBQ: 7 points
- Thesis (1): a historically defensible claim that establishes a line of reasoning, not a restated prompt.
- Contextualization (1): a broader context before, during or after the period, in more than a phrase.
- Evidence (3): content of at least three documents (1), or used to support an argument with at least four documents (2); plus one piece of specific evidence beyond the documents (1).
- Analysis and reasoning (2): for at least two documents, explain how or why the point of view, purpose, historical situation or audience matters to your argument (1); and show a complex understanding (1).
The long essay: 6 points
- Thesis (1) and contextualization (1), as in the DBQ.
- Evidence (2): two specific, relevant examples (1), used to support an argument (2).
- Analysis and reasoning (2): structure the argument with causation, comparison or continuity and change (1), and show a complex understanding (1).
The short answer: 3 points each
- Three parts, A, B and C, one point each. Answer the task verb: identify names it, describe gives its features, explain gives how or why.
- Use a specific example, a name, a law, an event, and tie it to the source and the period.
Try 2 questions
Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, 1840
Americans of all ages, all conditions, and all dispositions, constantly form associations. They have not only commercial and manufacturing companies, in which all take part, but associations of a thousand other kinds, religious, moral, serious, futile, extensive or restricted, enormous or diminutive. . . . If it be proposed to advance some truth, or to foster some feeling by the encouragement of a great example, they form a society.
Source: Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, volume 2, 1840, translated by Henry Reeve, adapted. Public domain.
W. E. B. Du Bois, "Returning Soldiers," 1919
We are cowards and jackasses if now that that war is over, we do not marshal every ounce of our brain and brawn to fight a sterner, longer, more unbending battle against the forces of hell in our own land.
We return.
We return from fighting.
We return fighting.
Make way for Democracy! We saved it in France, and by the Great Jehovah, we will save it in the United States of America, or know the reason why.
Source: W. E. B. Du Bois, "Returning Soldiers," The Crisis, May 1919, adapted. Public domain.
Question 2
The argument in the excerpt is most similar to which later development?
Next step
Questions people ask
How many points is the APUSH DBQ worth?
7: thesis 1, contextualization 1, evidence 3 and analysis and reasoning 2. It is 25% of the exam score.
How many points is the APUSH long essay worth?
6: thesis 1, contextualization 1, evidence 2 and analysis and reasoning 2. It is 15% of the exam score.
Did the APUSH rubrics change for 2027?
No. The short-answer and long-essay formats changed for May 2027, but the scoring rubrics and the way points are earned stayed the same.